New Subway shop opens in Vallejo but with bullet-proof glass

The good news is there's a new Subway sandwich shop on Virginia Street in downtown Vallejo. The bad news, some say, is that its employees and customers are separated by ceiling-high bullet-proof glass.

"It's a great thing for downtown, but it's too bad it has the bullet-proof glass," Vallejo native Yvonne Parrino said, her husband Tony, a 55-year resident, in agreement.

Some Subway customers complain that the glass makes it harder to understand and be understood by employees, though some also said they understand why the owners might have felt it was needed.

The clean, airy, nicely appointed new eatery opened last week without fanfare, owner Daisy Sidlu said. Sidlu and her

husband Kal, own at least one other Subway shop in Vallejo.

"We were robbed three times in our other store," Daisy Sidlu said. "(We installed the glass) for security. My husband heard from people in the neighborhood that there's drug dealing and prostitution around here. We already have a broken window."

The couple's other store(s) don't have glass, though it's under consideration, she said. It's more difficult to add the glass to an existing structure, however, she said.

Sidlu said she and her husband included the special glass for the safety of their downtown employees, though it can be removed, if deemed safe.

"No one wanted to work down here," she said. "Our employees are human beings, too."

There are other Subways in the country whose owners also have installed bulletproof glass, including in West Oakland, Washington, D.C., Detroit, East Chicago and Gary, Ind., according to an Internet search. Some suggest, though, that it's overkill in Vallejo.

Gary Gustofson, who manages the building the shop's using, said he feels no fear downtown, and feels the Subway's glass shield unnecessarily gives the place the feel of an armed fortress.

"Downtown Vallejo is totally different than it was when I first got involved with this building, back in 2002 or 3," Gustofson said. "We spent nearly $700,000 in renovations, and that glass doesn't represent what downtown is right now. I don't know of anyone else downtown with bulletproof glass and some people find it an insult to the downtown and the people of Vallejo."

Raymond Prather, owner of Virginia Street's Victory Stores, said he welcomes the new business, but he, too, has reservations about the glass.

"I think (the new Subway) has brought new life to this block, but the bulletproof glass is a big drawback," Prather said. "The downtown is way different now than it was five years ago. I'm always aware of my surroundings. I live down here and I'm a 5 foot 6 inch white kid, and I just don't see the problems here like there used to be."

Prather said his store was robbed only once in its 50-plus years, and that was in 1988.

Business neighbor Ken Ingersol, owner of Gracie's Family BBQ across the street from the new Subway, said he's never been robbed. He said anything that generates revenue for the city and jobs for its residents is a good thing. But, he also said he thinks the glass is an over-reaction by the Sidlus.

"The area's not what it was before, as a by-product of the city taking serious steps against irresponsible property owners," he said. "There's been some gentrification here in the past few years. Maybe their (bulletproof glass) decision was predicated on a dated opinion of the downtown."